Roll-on endorse ink well



Aug. 27, 1963 M. slEGEL ROLL-ON ENDORSE INK WELL Filed Jan. 10, 1961 INVENTOR. MARTIN SIEGEL AT TORNE Y p 3,101,667 lCef patents.; Aug'. 27, 1963 3,101,667 ROLL-ON ENDORSE INK WELL Martin Siegel, Livonia, Mich., assigner to Burroughs Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Filed Jan. 10, 1961, Ser. No. 81,316 1 Claim. (Cl. 101-364) This invention relates generally to ink applicators for printing apparatus and particularly to ink cartridges.

One lof the objects of my invention is to provide an imprltvide ink applicator 'for applying ink onto an inking roer.

Another object of the invention is to povide an improved ink cartridge and wick therefor in which the need for enclosing and sealing olf the projecting end lof the wick, such as with a rip-off cap, is eliminated without the usual accompanying vaporization or the ink.

Another object of the invention resides in the construction of the cartridge to support Wick locating 'and retaining elements for preventing displacement olf the Wick in any direction.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of an ink applicator of the above mentioned character in which the projecting wick end portion is displaced or reduced volumetrically in a coniining wick passage to decrease the capillary action and to seal the passage against leakage should the yapplicator be tilted or turned over during its handling or storage.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent .from the ollowing detail description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. l is an end view of an ink applicator embodying features of my invention;

FIG. 2 is la plan view partly broken away and in section;

FIG. 3 is a horizontal sectional view, taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. l;

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view, vtaken -along the line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a plan View of the top wall `of the cartridge shown removed therefrom, and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary plan view of a Wick, shown removed from the ink applicator.

`Referring to the drawing by characters of reference, the ink applicator shown comprises, in general, 1an ink cartridge or container 10 and a wick 12. 'Ilhe wick 12 has an end portion 14 that projects out of the cartridge 10, to apply ink, Yror example, to the surface of a roller 16. In the illustration of FIG. 1, the roller 16 is .an ink distribution roller `for distributing the ink over the surface lof an inkin-g roller 1S which in turn applies the ink to the print elements 'of a print wheel 20.

The cartridge 10 is box-like in construction having a bottom wall 22, side Walls 24 and 26, end walls 2S and 30 and a top wall 32. Preferably the cartridge 10 is made of a plastic material or thermo-setting resin of suiiicient degree of transparency to allow visual inspection of the quantity Iof ink remaining in the cartridge. The top wall 32 of the cartridge 10 is made separately from the cartridge proper, as a cover, and is cemented to the upper edges of iside walls 24, 26, and end 'walls 28, 30, after the wick 12 is placed in proper position within the cartridge. Any suitable cement, such as yany of the well-known resin 2 cements, may :be employed to secure and seal the top wall 32 to the cartridge side and end walls.

The wick 12 is of rectangular shape in cross section and extends from the Icartridge bottom wall 22 upwardly along the side wall 26 and out .of the cartridge through the top wall 32, las shown in FIG. 4. IIn the edge of top wall 32, adjacent side wall 26, there is provided a recess 38 to receive the upper end portion 14 of the wick. Projecting upwardly from the top wall 32 and extending along the recessed edge thereof is a wick retainer member or iiange 46 and' on the other side of the wick there is provided an upstanding wick back-up member 36 which is prefer ably 'formed Ias an extension of the cartridge sidewall 26. 'Ilhe back-up member 36 fits snugly into the recess 38 deiined by the recessed top wall 32 vand the retainer mem- -ber 46 so las to dorm a wick restricting passage 34, the wick being tightly clamped and constricted between the retainer member 46 and back-up member 36 as shown in FIG. 4 to decrease the porosity lof the wick and thus the capillary action, so las to -avoid the application of an undesirable excess of ink to the roller 16. Displacement of the wick by clamping it, yas above described, also seals the wick restricting passage 34 in the sense that ink will not leak out of said passage in the event that the cartridge is turned over in handling.

The back-up member 36 terminates just below the upper end of the wick 12 and gives support tothe otherwise flexible wick to keep the upper end 14 thereof in contact with the periphery of roller 16. The back-up member 36 terminates at its opposite ends inwardly of the cartridge end walls 28, 30 respectively, and fits snugly between the ends, as at 40, of the wick restricting passage 34.

Integral with the recessed edge 38 of the top Wall 32 there is a pair of Ihorizontally spaced locatore` or pins 42 which extend respectively through a pair of apertures 44 provided in the wick 12 ywhereby to locate the wick both horizontally |and vertically and hold the wick against accidental displacement in any direction. j

In constructing the ink applicator, cement is applied to the upper edges of the cartridge side walls 24, 26,*and end walls 28, 30, and the locating pins 42 are then inserted in the wick holes 44. By the use of a suitable clamping iixture, the top wall 32 is forced to the right, facing FIG. 4, to clamp the wick end portion 14 against the lback-up member and held down against the upper edges of the side and end walls of the cartridge until the cement sets.

Arn air inlet or hole 48 is provided in the top wall 30 for entrance of air into the cartridge to induce the wellknown capillary attraction required for passage of the ink up to the exposed end ont the wick 12. Until the cartridge is placed in'use, a closure member, such as a screw 50 may be used to close and seal the air inlet 48.

While I bave shown and described my ink .applicator in considerable detail, it will be understood that many variations and changes may -be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope ont the invention.

What I claim is:

An ink applicator comprising the combination of an y ink Icontainer of two piece construction having bottom,

side and end walls and a separately made top wall cover seated on and sealed to the upper edges of said side and end walls, lone of the side walls of the container having an integrally formed upward extension the opposite ends 'of which terminate inwardly of the container end walls, and

a iiat Wick within said container, said wick extending upwardly along said extension of said side Wall rbacking the Wick and having locating openings therein, said cover having an integrally 'formed upstanding flange lalong an edge adjacent said one lof the side Walls and including a recessed portion conforming to three sides of the Wick section )and receiving the wick and the side Wall extension therein, the ace of the side Iwall extension adjacent the recessed portion lotE the flange of the cover lbeing spaced .therefrom to rorm a constricting passage for the Wick encompassed by and passing therebetween, whereby the pio'- rosity Iand capillary action of the wick are decreased and spillage avoided, said cover further having a pair of integraily forme-d locating pins projecting Ifrom the recessed jportion thereof through said wick ilrocating openings and 15 engaging said extension of the adjacent side wall of the container to locate and |limit displacement of said wick.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,036,972 Storck Apr. 7, 1936 2,149,012 Ford Feb'. 28, 1939 2,177,578 Neidich Oct. 24, 1939 2,201,803 Todd May 21, 1940 2,205,617 Oollidge June 25, 1940 2,225,749 Marchev Dec. 24, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,024,453 France Jan. 10, 1953 

